L7 and Soul Asylum performed in São Paulo on Sunday, December 2nd.
After 25 years away, L7 finally returned to Brazil at a time when music, both national and international, is once again challenging the status quo. In 1993, the then-girls impressed on stage at the Hollywood Rock Festival and dropped their pants for photographers on the tour bus. In 2018, fueled by movements like #MeToo, there's no shortage of insults directed at politicians like Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro .
Weeks before the show in São Paulo, Soul Asylum announced they would be participating in the festival. The group is another offshoot of the 90s grunge scene, even if they don't have the same strength that L7 still carries.
The Soul Asylum band's show took a while to get going, largely due to the Tropical Butantã's sound system. The vocals were practically inaudible from the back of the venue. As the audience's familiarity with the music grew, so did their excitement. The sound improved, and during ballads like "Misery" and "Runaway Train," the crowd started singing along.
Unusually, L7 took the stage without any background music. They simply greeted the audience and, with the drummer Demetra Plakas began to deliver a powerful performance. The energy of Donita Sparks and company on stage is incredible.
From the very first second of “Deathwish,” which opened the show, everyone was singing as loudly as they could. One song flowed into the next, and the catchy choruses were shouted at the top of their lungs. The volume only decreased when the vocalist stopped to reminisce about Hollywood Rock and compliment everyone present. “You were already beautiful in 1993, now you’re even more beautiful.”
Even ignoring the lyrics full of political and social references, it's impossible not to notice the rebellious power of L7's music. Four women in their mid-50s who put many young men to shame. Not that the comparison is necessary. After all, anyone who still has gender prejudices needed to see the performance of "I Came Back To Bitch". "I am the creator/ you simply destroy/ you can stun me in the first round/ but I kick your ass, boy." They kick your asses, boys.
L7 delivered one of the best shows of the year, showcasing the full power of female rock. Donita Sparks has already said that the band is back and wants to serve as a model for the new generation. To form a youth that challenges, that takes its rightful place and destroys everything, whether on stage or in the traditions of society. And, if it depends on them, they will succeed. Watching L7 live is inspiring.
